From the atlas
FJ Gritsch
FJ Gritsch in Spitz, Wachau, makes named site Riesling and Grüner Veltliner wines from steep terraced vineyards, with a younger Kalmuck range alongside.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Region | Wachau, Austria |
| Home | Spitz |
| Featured grapes | Riesling and Grüner Veltliner |
| Signature wine | Riesling Kalkofen |
| Defining feature | Steep terraced vineyards worked largely by hand |
The Producer
At Kirchenplatz 13 in Spitz, Austria, FJ Gritsch is led in the cellar by Franz-Josef Gritsch, who represents the family's seventh generation of winemaking in Spitz. The estate's range places single vineyard wines beside the younger Kalmuck line, described as a contemporary interpretation of Wachau tradition.
The vineyards require hand work through much of the growing year, from pruning through harvest. The wines therefore arrive with a clear connection to named Wachau sites, including Kalkofen, 1000 Eimerberg and Kirchpoint.
Place
The Wachau's steep terraced vineyards make much of the work manual, with pruning and harvesting carried out by hand. FJ Gritsch is based in Spitz, while its named vineyard range extends across sites including Steinporz, Singerriedel, Setzberg, Loibenberg, Klaus, Kalkofen, Hochrain, Dürnsteiner Burgweingarten, Axpoint and 1000 Eimerberg.
The estate also changed its origin wording. From the 2023 vintage onward, FJ Gritsch uses the DAC origin pyramid instead of the Federspiel and Smaragd designations. The estate linked the change to climate change and greater clarity in international markets.
Soil And Site
Kalkofen lies on extremely steep terraces of primary rock at the climatic edge of Wachau viticulture. The producer associates the site with coolness and elegance, and the vineyard's physical setting is part of the character assigned to its Riesling.
Dürnsteiner Burgweingarten has steep stone terraces that cannot be worked mechanically. The site remains an example of vineyard ground where manual work is required from pruning through harvest.
Story
Franz-Josef Gritsch has restored numerous stone terraces in recent years, including terraces in the Kalkofen vineyard in the Spitzer Graben. The work took place on steep ground that requires manual cultivation. Kalkofen appears in the range as a named Riesling bottling, tying the restored terraces to a specific wine.
Dürnsteiner Burgweingarten presents the same physical constraint from another angle. Its stone terraces cannot be worked mechanically, so the vineyard remains dependent on hand work through the growing season.
Vineyards And Cellar
The estate cultivates 15 hectares across named Wachau sites. FJ Gritsch is certified under the Nachhaltig Austria sustainability scheme, which covers ecological, economic and social standards.
The modern Kalmuck cellar is used to make, age and store the estate's wines. Kirchpoint spent three months in stainless steel. Kalkofen underwent temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel, ageing on fine yeast and maturation in large oak barrels.
Wines
The range pairs single vineyard wines with the younger Kalmuck line. The named site bottlings include Riesling 1000 Eimerberg Federspiel and Riesling Kalkofen Smaragd, while Kirchpoint is made entirely from Grüner Veltliner.
The bottles occupy different positions within the range. Kirchpoint is a named Grüner Veltliner wine with stainless steel maturation, 1000 Eimerberg is a Riesling with a stated five to ten year ageing window, and Kalkofen is presented as a deep, exceptionally long lived wine with potential for decades.
In The Glass
The 2024 Kirchpoint opens with yellow apple, orange zest, blossom honey and smoky herbal spice. It is juicy and rounded, with fine acidity and fruit sweetness at its core.
The two 2022 Rieslings move in different directions. 1000 Eimerberg shows green pineapple, gooseberry and young apricot, with integrated acidity, clear fruit, mild extract and a stony finish. Kalkofen brings a saline mineral nose with nectarine, rose apricot, passion fruit and ginger. Its palate is deep and complex, with pronounced length.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Riesling 1000 Eimerberg Federspiel. It is hand harvested, gently pressed, fermented under temperature control in stainless steel and matured on fine lees. The bottle combines a named vineyard with a clear cellar method and a defined ageing window of five to ten years.
Anecdote
The Mauritiushof in Spitz dates to the 13th century and was originally used by monks to collect grapes. In 1799, the building came into Gritsch family ownership, and the family began its wine pressing tradition there. The historic property remains part of the estate's story alongside the modern Kalmuck cellar, which is used to make, age and store the wines.
Final Word
FJ Gritsch farms steep Wachau terraces by hand, with named site wines from Kalkofen, 1000 Eimerberg and Kirchpoint.
Sources
1. https://www.gritsch.at/en/ 2. https://www.gritsch.at/en/winemaker-fj-gritsch/ 3. https://www.gritsch.at/en/vineyards/ 4. https://www.gritsch.at/en/history/ 5. https://www.gritsch.at/en/news/fj-gritsch-winery-quits-austrias-vinea-wachau/ 6. https://www.falstaff.com/en/wineries/fj-gritsch-mauritiushof 7. https://www.wero-wine.eu/en/winery-franz-josef-gritsch/ 8. https://www.gritsch.at/weine/riesling-1000-eimerberg-fed/ 9. https://www.gritsch.at/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/RR-KALKOFEN-2022-Wine-data-sheet.pdf 10. https://www.gritsch.at/en/awards/ 11. https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/vin/fj-gritsch-7020901/ 12. https://www.falstaff.com/at/weine/weingut-fj-gritsch-2024-gruener-veltliner-wachau-dac-spitz-kirchpoint